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A Surfer's Guide:
Sharks, Bulls and Donkeys

Updated Aug. 11, 2000 12:01 a.m. ET

Friday, Aug. 11

A Texas Funeral

Deep in the heart of 1968 Texas live the eccentric Whits, gathered together to bid farewell to the family patriarch. This strange film, filled with even stranger characters, lets viewers watch, with voyeuristic glee, as the skeletons of the reunited family come bursting out of their closets, and ghosts from the past, as well as long-held misconceptions, are laid to rest beside Grandpa Sparta (Martin Sheen). The strong ensemble cast, including Chris Noth, Jane Adams, Robert Patrick, Isaiah Washington, Joanne Whalley, Olivia d'Abo and Grace Zabriskie, makes this odd tale spring to life and a pleasure to watch.

8-10 p.m. EDT on STARZ

This Week in History

Hosts Josh Binswanger and Giselle Fernandez take viewers on a trip down memory lane in this new series, hoping their magazine-style format will be more palatable than dry documentaries on historical events. "This week in history" they remember the building of the Berlin Wall, the opening of Alcatraz, the inauguration of the Panama Canal and the Watts Riots.

9-10 p.m. EDT on The History Channel

Dateline NBC: Breaking Away

For two years, Maria Shriver and her crew followed four families headed by single moms who were part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's controversial MTO (Moving Toward Opportunity) program. In this program, poor families from rough, inner-city neighborhoods were offered a one-time chance to be moved, at federal expense, to better places. In documenting their relocations, Ms. Shriver was trying to determine if geography really made a difference in the lives of these women and their children, or whether MTO is just another misguided HUD effort. What she finds, by getting these women to speak frankly about their situations, is at turns surprising, heartbreaking, frustrating and joyful.

9-10 p.m. EDT on NBC

The Royle Family

If you're one of those people who thinks "Seinfeld" was about nothing, just wait until you get a look at "The Royle Family." At least in "Seinfeld" the characters occasionally left Jerry's apartment. The Royles are a working-class family from Manchester, England, whose main activity seems to be sitting on the couch watching the telly. If you can decipher the Manchester accent, you'll be rewarded with sharp, sly humor as the Royles -- Jim, Barbara, Denise and Antony -- discuss the day's events among themselves and with their wacky visitors.

9:20-10 p.m. EDT on BBC America

Sunday, Aug. 13

Running Mates

Arriving hot on the heels of the GOP convention in Philadelphia and on the brink of the Democrats' gathering in Los Angeles, this TNT original film is a winner. Tom Seleck plays Gov. James Reynolds Pryce, the nominee presumptive of the Democratic Party. The film follows his bumpy road to selecting a running mate. Helping him avoid the political landmines are his wife Jenny (Nancy Travis), who's got the thankless job of candidate's spouse, and strangely enough, his three ex-girlfriends. Meanwhile, ambitious campaign manager Lauren Hartman (Laura Linney) is pursuing a life-long dream of a job in the White House; the wife of a Hollywood mogul, Shawna Morgan (Teri Hatcher), is helping Pryce court the celebrity vote; and senatorial wife Meg Gable (Faye Dunaway) is fiercely ambitious for herself and her philandering husband. Ms. Dunaway gives a scenery-chewing performance not seen since the days of "Mommy Dearest." The film takes itself a bit too seriously at times, but it is an engaging and humorous, if not entirely plausible, look into life on the campaign trail.

8-10 p.m. EDT on TNT

Bob Dylan: American Troubadour

This two-hour installment of the fabulous "Biography" series follows Bobby Zimmerman from life as a shy kid in Deluth, Minn., to his place in the rock pantheon as Bob Dylan. It's a detailed and entertaining look at the important influence of this music pioneer. The Dylan documentary is only one of the profiles premiering during "Biography's" Rock Legends Week; others include David Crosby (Aug. 14), Jimi Hendrix (Aug. 15) and Janis Joplin (Aug. 16).

8-10 p.m. EDT on A&E

Shark Week Uncaged

Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your TV, it's time for the Discovery Channel's 13th annual Shark Week. This year's look at Jaws and his less-famous cousins (which airs nightly, 9-10 p.m., through Aug. 20) offers five premieres and two old favorites. The week opens with "Sharks 3-D," in which viewers who made the trek to LensCrafters, the Discovery Channel Store or the Nature Company in July to pick up the special glasses can get an up-close-and-personal look at the giant Megalodon, a presumed-extinct prehistoric shark; and ends with "Wolves of the Sea: White Sharks," in which scientists look at the pack-hunting habits of the powerful Great White.

9-10 p.m. EDT on The Discovery Channel

Tuesday, Aug. 15

Bull

TNT's first original series hopes to cash in on the stock-market craze with its flash-and-sass dialogue and frenetic pace. The show centers around Robert "Ditto" Roberts III (George Newbern), a young hotshot broker who also just happens to be the grandson of the CEO of the most influential old-school house on The Street. When he decides to break off from grandpop's stodgy, mahogany-hued firm to start his own with the other young Turks in the company, a battle royal begins for supremacy and survival. Mr. Newbern is appealing as the cocky but ultimately idealistic Ditto, and Stanley Tucci oozes serpentine charm as the hardball negotiator Hunter Lasky. Those viewers who speculate on "Bull's" first episode should see a moderate return on investment. Hopefully, its bubble won't burst.

10-11 p.m. EDT on TNT

-- Kate Flatley

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